How do I download songs on Spotify to listen offline, and do I need Premium for it?

Offline download is Premium-only, free accounts can't do it (free is streaming only). With Premium: open a playlist or album and flip the 'Download' switch (a downward arrow at the top). A green arrow shows when tracks are saved. Then turn on 'Offline mode' in Settings > Playback so it only plays downloaded music. Limits: up to 10,000 songs per device across 5 devices, and Spotify re-verifies downloads roughly every 30 days when you're online, so go online briefly at least monthly or they expire. Podcasts download the same way.

It's Premium-only, no workaround on free. If you're on free and need offline for travel, that's the one feature Premium genuinely unlocks that matters here.

Turn on 'Offline mode' in Settings before you fly, otherwise Spotify may still try to stream and skip tracks that didn't fully download. Offline mode forces it to use only saved songs.

Downloads expire if you don't go online for about 30 days, Spotify checks your subscription is still active. Connect to wifi briefly once a month and they refresh automatically.